1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates in general to elevator systems, and more specifically to an interactive, real time elevator system simulator with parameters variable from the display.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Modern, high-speed elevator systems, such as those which serve office buildings and hotels, include some form of dispatcher strategy which makes traffic assignments to the various elevators cars of the elevator system, based upon the position and status of all of the elevator cars and the locations of the traffic requests. The dispatcher control conventionally utilizes hardware to detect the "events" considered by the dispatcher in its decision making process; the decision making logic control is conventionally hardwired, including hundreds of relays; and, the system input signals are conventionally received and processed by the dispatcher control in parallel to generate parallel output signals for control of the various elevator cars according to the specific logic hardwired into the dispatcher control.
With the development of reliable solid state control devices, the hardwired relay dispatcher control was, in some instances, replaced by the smaller solid state devices, but the dispatcher logic, once selected and designed into the control, was as inflexible as the relay type dispatcher control it replaced.
The next step in elevator control was the development of a programmable dispatcher. The programmable dispatcher, which includes a digital computer and software package, confines the decision making and operating strategy to the software package. Thus, the hardware may be substantially the same for each elevator installation. The specific strategy for each installation is tailored to the specific requirements thereof, and can be easily changed to accommodate changed usage of the buildings, or for any other reason.
The programmable dispatcher is more than a one-for-one replacement of its relay or hardwired counterpart, as it facilitates experimentation with modified as well as entirely dispatching strategies. The experimentation, however, must be carried out at an existing elevator installation, whic makes it inconvenient, and furthermore it is not possible to closely examine the consequences of software changes.